Digital force field
New Zealand Listener|July 15 - 21 2023
The internet is already beyond the control of the people who are supposed to be running it, says US technologist David Auerbach.
PAUL LITTLE
Digital force field

You may not have heard of New York-based tech writer and software engineer David Auerbach, but you are almost certainly familiar with his work. In fact, it's possible you've used one or two of his innovations today.

He has had stints working at both Microsoft and Google. "Really arcane backend server stuff," he tells the Listener on Zoom from his home. While at Microsoft in 1999, he introduced smiley face emoticons to Messenger. And then, as the title of a blog he once wrote had it, "I Built That 'So-and-So Is Typing' Feature in Chat. And I'm not sorry." Yes, he's the three-blinking dots guy. "Unlike emoticons, this was done alongside some other people. But my name is on the patent," he says.

Since then, he has written widely, perceptively and often critically, mainly on internet and tech issues. Much of his work can be found at his website, davidauerba.ch. But it's his early hits that people remember and talk to him about.

The musical analogy is one with which he would be comfortable. Before we even start the interview about his new book, the ominously titled Meganets: How Digital Forces Beyond Our Control Commandeer Our Daily Lives and Inner Realities, he has something he needs to say.

"I've been a close follower of New Zealand music for a long time. I've heard a lot of bands from Dunedin and Christchurch. I saw the Chills in New York last October. I'd last seen [Martin Phillipps] 25 years earlier. And actually, I don't know if you know Bailter Space, but they're playing here next week."

So far, so Flying Nun fanatic, but how did he get to be a software engineer and respected commentator?

"I always loved computers," he says. "I programmed from a young age. At the same time, I was very aware of how they didn't capture the world. And I was also into literature and philosophy."

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView all
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024